I posted before that I was having issues with the older baby sitter (and MIL) and feedings and being pressured to start solids or rice cereal. Well I am glad to say I was able to fight them off until now. He is 4 1/2 now and went for his 4 mo shots and the Doc asked how my supply was and I said it is a struggle to get enough, I have been taking Fenugreek pills and drinking mother's milk tea. He said let's go ahead and start him on cereal 2 times a day and then reduce it to once a day. He said that will help me to get caught up on my supply.

I can see it now, giving him cereal twice a day now and then TAKING IT AWAY?? OH GOSH! YOU ARE STARVING YOUR BABY!! They refuse to accept the fact that my milk has all the nutrients they need until 6 mo.

I am very much a people pleaser, always have been, always will be. I am VERY proud of myself for standing my ground this long. I refused to leave him with my MIL for over an hour because I knew she would feed him something, ya know what I don't know won't kill me.

Ugh! Enough of that! The purpose of this post is what else could I do to increase my supply. I try my best to pump every two hours at work but that NEVER works out. I am able to work while pumping, I just close the door and the blinds, so that helps. BUT I am still not getting enough to send the next day. I am having to send a bottle of formula to make up for it. I am soooo sad about that, I cried the first day that happened. I take fenugreek pills and drink mother's milk tea. I ate oatmeal for dinner the other night (not instant) because I heard that helps some too. I know that stress probably has an effect on it. Is there anything else I can eat, drink, or take?? Please I will try ANYTHING!!!

This is such a great site! I love the help I can get JUST by reading other threads! Thanks in advance for your help!!

August 14th, 2013, 02:52 PM

@llli*5ofus

Re: Supply

hey momma! Good job sticking to what you beleive in!

2 things - your milk is enough for him until he is a year old :)... not just 6 months. At 6 months until a year food is still just for exploring and learning, not providing baby with the nutrients he needs to thrive. The best way to increase your supply is to remove milk from your breasts frequently, and feeding baby cereal is going to cause him to want less milk. I think your ped has given you poor advice.

The other is to nurse a ton, and if there is anyway possible to prioritize your pumping. With your LO being so young you are still establishing your supply, so the more you pump, the more you should make (Supply=demand). If you stretch pump sessions you are signaling your body to make less milk. Try not to stress out too much, you are not beyong improving your supply by any means.

Keep at it!! You are doing great. Decide what you want for your LO and stick to it... there will always be something that others think you should do different. It's your child though, and you know best!

August 14th, 2013, 03:45 PM

@llli*jaa-08

Re: Supply

Thank you for the advice. I am going to try to pump every two hours at work, I tried before and I felt like I was never working but that is before I got blinds in my office and was able to keep working while I pumped, which now I am not working, I am on here while I pump lol but hopefully I can get my supply back up that way.

August 14th, 2013, 10:48 PM

@llli*maddieb

Re: Supply

How much milk is baby drinking when you are separated and how long are you separated for?

How much do you pump each day?

Have you troubleshot your pump? Changed membranes, checked connections, had it tested?

How is baby's growth?

Are you going to do the cereal? Do you think this was suggested by the doctor due to baby really not getting enough (not growing ok) or suggested to give you are break because you are having a hard time pumping enough milk?

Please don't get upset over a little formula if it was needed. That is ok. Keeping up with pumping enough milk is very hard for some moms. If you cannot pump enough, it's not as if you have lots of options. Your options are formula or finding a job you are not separated from your baby during. So what are you going to do? It's ok.

as far as increasing milk, I would suggest the book Making More Milk. You should be able to order it the library and its $12 At amazon. It's an AMAZING book.

August 15th, 2013, 02:10 PM

@llli*jaa-08

Re: Supply

I usually try to send 3 - 5oz bottles a day, sometimes she says it isnt enough. She said that he still acts hungry after only 4 oz so I started sending 5. Which is why I had to send some formula some because I cant pump 15 oz at work, I just dont make that much. I told her that the few times I have had to feed him with a bottle due to location, he cried when I sat him up but as soon as I burped him he was fine.

I pump 3 times a day and haven't been getting enough for the next day.

Baby's growth is right on, according to the Dr. His birth weight was 8lb3oz and at his 4 mo checkup he was 14ln8oz. I think he thought adding the cereal would alloy him to get only breastmilk and he wouldn't need to have any formula because he was getting fuller. I did tell the sitter she could feed him a little cereal once a day and I am not going to feed him any at night. Just try to nurse every two hours to get my supply up.

I haven't had my pump checked out, it seems to pump fine, it doesn't feel any different.

August 15th, 2013, 03:10 PM

@llli*mommal

Re: Supply

How long are you at work? 15 oz would be about right if you were separated from baby for about 10 hours per day, if you're following the rule of 1.5 oz of expressed milk per hour of separation. If you're working less than that, it's probable that your daycare provider is overfeeding your baby, and you may need to review guidelines and feeding and soothing techniques with her. (E.g. paced feeding, swapping a pacifier in for the bottle after baby has had 3-4 oz.)

4-5 oz at a time is a very large feeding. Most breastfed babies take more along the lines of 3-4 oz at a time, making up for the smaller size of the average feeding by feeding a little more often.

A lot of moms get into the mindset of avoiding formula at all costs. But IMO, cereal is too high a cost to pay to avoid formula. Yes, breastmilk is the ideal infant food and formula is a distant second- but formula is still closer in composition to breastmilk than anything else you can feed your baby, and less likely to cause digestive issues. If you need to use formula to get you through the workday, don't be ashamed of that. But I suspect that your daycare provider might be overfeeding, so explore that angle first. :gvibes